524 On the Art of Painting 



*' We have in Philoftratus* the following de- 

 " fcription of a pifture : ' we may inftantly," 

 fays he, " diftinguifh Ulyfies by his feverity and 

 "vigilance; Menelaus by his mildnefs ; and 

 " Agamemnon by a kind of divine majefty. In 

 " the fon of Tydeus is expreffed an air of 

 " freedom; Ajax is known by his fullen fiercenefs, 

 " and Antilochus by his alertnefs.' To give to 

 *' thefe fuch fentiments and actions as are con- 

 *' feqyential from their peculiar charaflers is the 

 " ethic of painting." 



Socrates In a dialogue with Parrhafius the painter 

 which Xenophon has related, f after difcourfing 

 on the power of painting to exprefs the characters 

 and manners of mankind, advifes him to paint 

 thofe rather which are expreflive of beauty, good- 

 nefs and lovelinefsij: than their oppofites : a proof 

 that in the days of Parrhafius this part of painting 

 was principally regarded. This was the Parrhafius 

 who painted allegorically the genius (Demon) 

 of the Athenians varium, iracundum, injujluniy incon- 

 ftantem,\ It was he alfo who painted -pueros duos 

 in quibus JpeSlatur Jecuritas et atatis fimplicitas ; an 



* Em^n^oiTiiizv I9ax»ioi(^, &c. Philoftr. in Antilocho. 



f Memorab. III. 10. 



% Zi av ra koS^ T£ xayafia km ayctTtr.Ta »9jj faivtraif n 5i 

 .*v T« cu7)i^a TE *ai Ttovm^cc hm manra. 



I! Plin. XXXV. 36. 



elesant 



